Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 293

Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira

Book 9, Chapter 11

Devanagari script

बाणवर्षेण महता युधिष्ठिरमताडयत्‌ । शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेवाले शल्यने युद्धस्थलमें पैने बाणोंद्वारा पाण्डव-सेनाका मर्दन करके बड़ी भारी बाण-वर्षके द्वारा युधिष्ठिरको भी गहरी चोट पहुँचायी

Transliteration

bāṇavarṣeṇa mahatā yudhiṣṭhiram atāḍayat | śīghratāpūrvaka-hasta-cālanavān śalyaḥ yuddhasthale paiṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ pāṇḍava-senāyā mardanaṃ kṛtvā mahā-bāṇa-varṣeṇa yudhiṣṭhiram api gāḍhaṃ vyathayām āsa ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Dengan hujan panah yang dahsyat, Śalya menghantam Yudhiṣṭhira. Tangan Śalya begitu cepat melepaskan senjata; di medan laga ia menekan pasukan Pāṇḍava dengan anak panah yang tajam, lalu dengan curahan panah yang lebih berat lagi ia melukai Yudhiṣṭhira dengan luka yang dalam.

Word by Word

• बाणवर्षेण: by a shower of arrows
• बाणवर्षेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाणवर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• महता: great, mighty
• महता: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• युधिष्ठिरम्: Yudhishthira
• युधिष्ठिरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अताडयत्: struck, smote
• अताडयत्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: तड्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śalya
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Pāṇḍava army
• arrows
• battlefield

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the harsh reality of war: even a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira can be grievously harmed when martial skill and relentless aggression dominate the battlefield. It highlights the tension between righteousness and the brutal mechanics of kṣatriya warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Śalya, fighting with great speed and precision, showers arrows that devastate the Pāṇḍava troops and then strikes Yudhiṣṭhira himself with a heavy barrage, causing him severe injury.